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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Pike County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Pike County, used by 2,698,438 or 51.75% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Pike County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,275,546 homes (24.46%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (786,449), propane (256,098), wood (122,435), and other fuels (139,486).

Pike County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelPike County Households % of Households
Natural Gas2.6M51.75%
Electricity1.2M24.46%
Heating Oil786,44915.08%
Propane256,0984.91%
Wood122,4352.35%
Coal51,5310.99%
Other Fuels50,5060.97%
No Fuel33,3560.64%
Solar4,0930.08%

Natural gas (51.75)

Electricity (24.46)

Heating oil (15.08)

Propane (4.91)

Wood (2.35)

Coal (0.99)

Other fuels (0.97)

No fuel (0.64)

Solar (0.08)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Pike County

Heating oil has become less popular in Pike County. In the 8 years since 2014, the number of heating oil homes fell from 930,735 to 786,449, a 15.50% drop.

Pike County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
20111.0M
20121.0M
2013963,754
2014930,735
2015899,276
2016864,952
2017843,020
2018828,104
2019814,213
2020811,086
2021790,823
2022786,449

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Pike County

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 189,112 to 256,098.

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,529,063 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Pike County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Pike County. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,050,178 to 1,275,546, a 21.46% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Pike County

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all space heating fuels. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank in the basement.

Currently, 4,093 homes in Pike County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 221.78% increase from 2014, when only 1,272 homes had installed active solar heating.

Pike County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Pike County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Pike County’s overall heating oil use varies from year to year, primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more oil to keep homes warm. Last winter in Pike County, the average outside temperature was 4.7° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Pike County Average Winter Temperature

Heating SeasonAverage Temperature
Winter 2022 - 202341.3° F
Winter 2021 - 202236.6° F

Pike County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Pike County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 13 heating oil companies that serve Pike County is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 0 “full-service” oil companies that serve Pike County. Full service companies such as undefined or undefined offer automatic fuel delivery and furnace repair under a single roof.

Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel Companies” or “Cash Heating Oil Companies”, these companies are for the budget-conscious Pike County homeowner. In return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank and place an order when you run low on oil. Examples of cash heating oil companies that serve Pike County include Plociniak Oil Company Inc and Locklins Bottled Gas Inc.

Pike County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Pike County: 13 companies

Average Number Of Pike County Homes Served Per Company: 201 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Pike County Oil Company: 130,149 gallons per year

Pike County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

2,622 households in Pike County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Pike County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

25% of Pike County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Pike County HouseholdsPike County Heating Oil Households
10,2672,622

38 Pike County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 2 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Pike County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Pike County community relies on its 38 oil companies to keep warm.

Oil delivery is a two step process: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal. In the case of Pike County, two of the closest terminals are Lucknow in Dupont, PA and Global S in Newburgh, NY. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Pike County.

More Pike County HVAC Resources